I'm observing you

Yesterday, the express going downtown. In the car: me, a woman chatting animatedly with her two friends sitting across from her, and a man reading a newspaper, sitting at the other end of the row of seats.

After discussing endlessly whether she could transfer correctly to get to Schermerhorn by staying on this train or if she should have gotten off at Grand Central, the chatting woman turned to the man with the newspaper.

“Are you observing my conversation?”

“I’m observing you.”

“Is that the Daily News? Let’s trade papers. I’ve got the Post.”

They trade. I sit with my eyes closed, not wanting to observe anyone.

“Oooh, now I got the News!”

One of the friends says to the man, “She wants you to sit to her.”

“Yeah, sit next to me. Let’s conversate.”

We got to Union Square, where I got off. He moved over and took my place next to her. The train moved on, singing.